1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a handle for a tool, with a curved handle end section, a straight middle section and a fixing end section for attaching the tool, as well as an apparatus comprising such a handle.
2. Description of Related Art
A handle of this generic kind and a tool equipped with such a handle are disclosed, for example, in the patent DE 4415974 A1. The known apparatus is disadvantageous inasmuch as the movements possible while shoveling are limited. It has a high, forward-tilted handle grip, with the result that after a load has been taken onto the tool and lifted, it is difficult to tip the load off to one side by turning the handle, a maneuver customary and possible with the known handle-equipped tools. The higher the front grip area, the more difficult such a rotation is. Only at the minimum-gravity point of the throwing-off movement is rotation by means of a high front grip area possible. Hence a manipulation involving a swinging movement is needed, which requires more working space.
The known apparatus with high, tilted handle grip is also disadvantageous when the shoveling work is carried out above knee height. Then the handle must be lifted to shoulder height in order to push the blade of the shovel into the material to be loaded. With the body in this unfavorable posture the load must then be raised and accelerated in order to throw it off.
When the shoveling work is above hip height, however, it is also difficult to work with conventional long-handled shovels, because the long handle can be manipulated only near its front end. Therefore in this case a shovel with shorter handle or a spade is often used.
If work in a kneeling position is necessary, it is customary to use a hand tool such as a gardener""s or mason""s trowel or the like. Because the hand is relatively weak, not as much force is available as is provided by the lever action of the large handles. Furthermore, small hand tools cannot reach as far, nor can forces be contributed by the feet and shoulders.
The invention has as its objective to create a tool handle that is ergonomically improved.
This objective is achieved in accordance with the invention by a handle according to claim 1 and claim 16. Advantageous further developments of the invention are disclosed in the subordinate claims.
The invention is based on the realization that ergonomic demands that are actually opposed to one another can be satisfied with a single device only if the grip areas at the front of the handle are arranged in several or at least two steps.
The invention further relates to an apparatus comprising a tool plus a handle in accordance with the invention.
It can be provided here that the handle is attached to a tool in an off-center position.
With respect to handling and mode of operation, the forms of apparatus in accordance with the invention to some extent resemble known hand tools such as shovels, spades, forks, hoes etc. However, the work accomplished with the known tools can be done more easily and/or with less expenditure of force when the apparatus in accordance with the invention is used, because the physical forces exerted by hands, feet, thighs, shoulders etc. on the tool can be applied in an ergonomically more favorable way at the points specifically configured for the purpose.
Apart from the fact that work with the novel devices both saves work and spares the back, the risk of blistering the hands is diminished because the forces involved are oriented transverse to the closed hands and moreover are transferred into the hand transversely.
Injuries caused by the handle end penetrating the body, as happens with conventional handle-operated devices, are avoided by the configuration of the back handle regions. The elasticity of the material, in combination with the S-shaped configuration of the front, curved handle regions of the apparatus in accordance with the invention, enable impacts acting in various directions to be cushioned; in combination with the large-area structure of the regions to which force is applied in the apparatus in accordance with the invention, this elasticity prevents internal injury to the contacted parts of the body.
The operating functions resemble those of previously known devices, but in each case the apparatus in accordance with the invention can be employed in more ways; this multifunctionality is enabled by the S-shaped basic form. The apparatus in accordance with the invention, equipped with a stable shovel-type scoop or blade, can therefore be used in place of the previous long-handled shovel, the previous spade, the ice scraper and the hoe, with ergonomic benefits; in addition, it can be operated as a trowel, with one hand/arm.
Power tools that were previously operated by hand, such as hedge trimmers, can by this means be employed in an ergonomically better way and hence with less physical force. The multifunctionality also makes it possible to use the hedge trimmer, for instance, to cut off dried shrubs near the ground without bending and to trim quite high hedges without a ladder.
It is advantageous that the space needed to work with the apparatus in accordance with the invention is equivalent to only the space required for a short shovel or a spade, whereas in some cases the present apparatus can move a given weight further than can a conventional long-handled shovel, while imposing less load on the operator""s spine. In any case, the force with which it can penetrate into the material to be carried is sometimes several-fold greater, with less physical effort, than when conventional devices are used.
In contrast to the known embodiments, the arrangement of grip areas in accordance with the invention is such that in the front handle region they are disposed at different heights, one over another, with a straight handle part extending diagonally upward. These grip areas, designed in relation to the dimensions of the human body, make possible an extra degree of multifunctionality, in addition to the possibilities provided by the device in accordance with the invention for work in a standing position, in that the material to be carried can be manipulated in different directions and at different heights.
The previously conflicting ergonomic demands faced by a person working in a standing position have been described in detail for the case in which the work region (e.g., the material to be moved) is at different heights. On the whole, the ergonomic demands encountered when a person is working in standing, kneeling and even sitting positions are similarly conflicting. The grip-lever arrangement in accordance with the invention, designed in relation to body dimensions, is proportioned such that even these kinds of work can all be done with a single device.